The term “love letter” gets thrown around way too much especially when discussing movies. If you think about it nearly every movie is a “love letter” to something otherwise the director’s passion or screenwriter’s ambition would be nowhere to find. Sure there are film’s with very little personality or emotional attachment but all in all if the film works chances are it originated with the filmmaker’s love for something and their desire to express that love. THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK is yes, a love letter to the concrete jungle but less one to the amazing opportunities that can come from the city and more so wanting to slow things down a little bit and go back to a time where face to face actually meant something. The film itself can be seen as an explorer’s journey as it takes us across the five boroughs of New York treating each one like its own separate planet (ask any New Yorker and they will agree), but ironically the film itself has taken quite a journey. Directed by Noah Segan, a frequent collaborator and longtime friend of director Rian Johnson, the film has hit nearly every film festival this season beginning with a Sundance arrival and now having its New York premiere at the 64th New York Film Festival where it was practically made for. A festival that lives and breathes by its people celebrating a film all about the city’s people. In other words it is a beautiful thing to behold. It also helps that PICKPOCKET gets to boast an ensemble led by New York royalty in John Turturro, Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito. Call it the New York dad dream blunt rotation. PICKPOCKET lives and breathes for this city in a way that feels disconnect to modern times, but thankfully it also understands times are a changing and doesn’t harbor onto a past just to ridicule the present. It knows unfortunately some of the old ways are dying but before they go maybe it is better we take a few steps back and a deep breath. After all for a film about a pickpocket thief it is more than aware that while the grab may be quick the patience needed to find your mark is what allows a big win.
Harry is an expert at his profession. A profession that includes quick snatch and grabs and more so knowing his mark’s even if it is only for a short moment in time. A pickpocketer played by John Turturro, Harry is someone we all know. Sure maybe you don’t personally know a pickpocket thief, but you know Harry the man. A quiet, reserved man that rides the subway getting lost in the crowd of New Yorker’s too busy to see what is happening right in front or behind them. Harry doesn’t seem beaten down but he does carry the years with him. Turturro with an over forty year career and over a hundred film screen credits to his name is the kind of performer that could share endless stories and history that would leave anyone in wonder. So. It becomes a joy to see Turturro hold that appeal in Harry. Sure he is not the kind of man to spill out his life story, but he is someone that sparks curiosity. A real New Yorker with a history you desperately want to know. But while Harry has been doing this thievery for quite some time his life isn’t as fast paced as his Quick Draw McGraw hand movement. Harry spends his time in his Bronx apartment taking care of his disabled and mute wife (Karina Arroyave), while paying (in cash) his neighbors to watch after her while he hits the streets selling his steals to a local pawn dealer Ben (Steve Buscmei). Segan, only in his forties, seems to be keyed in on how the old timers operate. And yes it helps when you have Buscemi and Turturro work alongside one another, but the film’s script never needs to spell out the history between them, it is known with just a glance. Segan in his directing seems fascinated with New York crime films of the late 60’s and 70’s where things took their time to unfold but the characters and more so the performers fully lived their characters long before the cameras started rolling.
But with that interest in crime from Segan comes conflict, as Harry soon finds his world in a much younger and more dangerous territory. After a quick car break-in (mainly due to Harry’s own interest in the classic 1969 vehicle), he soon finds out he hit the wrong target as entitled brat Dylan (Will Price) and his entourage track down Harry searching for a USB he stole giving him until the end of the day to return it or else. Price as Dylan clearly is here to remind Harry of the not so Brave New World that is pushing men like Harry out of, and Harry and his old timers struggle to keep up. The film does reach its darker moments with Dylan’s threat of Harry and his wife’s life but Segan’s breezy script has some enjoyment with both mocking a new generation (sometimes with clumsy outdated dialogue) but also with putting Harry in the spotlight confused by more than known modern things such as Etsy or the fact that nobody needs watches or carries cash anymore. Hell even when the movie has Harry racing across the five boroughs it avoids a major plot hole of not having Harry use Uber just by the sole fact that Harry may not even know what Uber even is let alone how to download the app. These no city for old men ideas keep growing as Harry encounters an old cop friend and playful adversary Detective Warren (Giancarlo Esposito) who is dealing with his own forced retirement in a time where sometimes police duty still relies on just knowing the streets by putting boots on the ground. The film flourishes in these moments between Turturro and Esposito, and while the “Do the Right Thing” reunion would have been more than enough it’s great to see Turturro and Esposito not miss a beat playing against one another as if they have done this their whole careers and not in just one single masterpiece.
But even with friends in the city this fight is Harry’s and throughout his journey across the city he has to come to terms with not just this latest error but a lifetime full of mistakes. John Turturro has played a broken man before but often times it comes with an exciting outlandish performance, but with PICKPOCKET Turturro gets to play a reserved man all while allowing the audience to know we are seeing him at a time where is safer to be around. There is the idea that much like an old timer in Alcoholics Anonymous that Harry was once someone you did not want to mess with and worse allowed those close to him to pay the price. Segan keeps these things subtle until a late act encounter involving Harry’s estranged daughter Kelly (Tatiana Maslany) who is not only upset to see him and doesn’t accept his “happened to be the neighborhood” arrival, but also knows that his life of crime isn’t suave or exciting but torturous for her and the pain Harry passed onto her. Maslany in a scene stealing moment is allowed by the film’s script time to express this pain rather than have to quickly spew it all out causing the film to enter more schmaltzy territory. It’s a credit to Segan’s ability to slow things down even when Harry is under the gun. In fact the film never has an urgency that most modern day crime films do where the anxiety is running rampant. It’s a sweet and somber way to express how even Harry knows that whether he succeeds or not his time and the world around him have been closing in for years.
If PICKPOCKET is yet again a “love letter” to New York (it is) then it is one that feels indifferent to other New York films of its time. It doesn’t feel the need to compete with the likes of the Safdie brothers or even throw things back to the mean streets of Scorsese. In fact it doesn’t even accept that New York films are dominated by one particular genre even if it is a crime film in itself. Instead it is a film about how a city can beat you down but one would never move away. Afterall this is a film that kicks off with the obligatory skyline but instead of throwing out an overused Sinatra song it instead goes for the more abrupt “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” from LCD Soundsystem. A song that understands not everything in this city will remain the same and even if your longtime deli still stands even they have had to adapt to the iPad cashless registers. This isn’t to discredit those that love the old ways, quite the opposite in fact, but PICKPOCKET and Segan know how rare these old ways are when you walk the streets. That joy that happens when you actually get face to face time with someone whether it be a hug from bumping into an old friend on the subway or getting in a screaming match on the sidewalk, these interactions are becoming less frequent by the minute. New York City will definitely hold onto these human moments longer than most places but as PICKPOCKET dies down we see Harry pass along his knowledge to a young man on the subway still practicing his technique and Harry lets him know it’s not just the hands that have to change it’s the style of his clothes and demeanor. To take the time to slow down as assess yourself before you can target others. Harry’s passing of the torch means things will eventually meet its end but New York City can still thrive with a little bit of that old time magic.
B
THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK HAD ITS NEW YORK PREMIERE IN THE SPOTLIGHT SECTION AT THE 64TH NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL. IT WILL BE RELEASED IN SELECT THEATERS OCTOBER 16TH FROM SONY PICTURE’S CLASSIC
Leave a Reply